Jay Z has become something of a political darling over these past few years, proving to be an invaluable asset to the Barrack Obama campaign trails and a reliable spokesperson for the Democrats during office. However Jay may have overstepped his politic leeway recently when he embarked on a trip to Cuba with wife Beyonce, a move that sparked a considerable backlash from Republicans who criticised his decision to visit the country that is still under a trade embargo from the US.

Jay Z
Jay Z may not be as close with the President as he likes to think

As the criticism against his visit got more hostile, Jay decided to respond by bringing out a new, Timbaland produced, track called 'Open Letter' in which he claims he was given clearance from the White House to visit the country. The song is actually Jay's first response to the Cuba visit critics and in it he spits his usual rounds of thunder, with bars like: 'Boy from the hood but got White House clearance/Sorry y'all, I don't agree with y'all appearance/Politicians never did shit for me/Except lie to me, distort history/Wanna give me jail time and a fine/Fine, let me commit a real crime.'

Despite Jay's claims however, Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, has something different to say about the trip to Cuba, namely that Jay's claims in 'Open Letter' are wrong. Carney claimed in a statement from the White House on Thursday (April 11) that Jay was never granted clearance from the White House because clearance to enter the country would have to come from the United States Treasury and not the President's office. 'I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury,' Carney joked in the statement.

Jay Z and Bey
Jay Z and Beyonce spent time in Communist Cuba this month

'Open Letter' also name checks Barack Obama, but Carney has gone on to further deny the claims made in the song by vehemently denying any participation in the incident by the President. 'I am absolutely saying that the White House and the president had nothing to do with anybody's personal … anybody's travel to Cuba. That is something the Treasury handles,' Carney went on to explain in the statement.

The track, uploaded to Jay's SoundCloud page on Thursday, addresses more than the trip to Cuba as Jay looks to disprove the rumours that he is selling his controlling stake in the Brooklyn Nets as well as addressing the ongoing success of his newly established Roc Nation Sports agency. The song is available to stream below.